


Summer Rebels

by Evayna



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, California, Character(s) of Color, Dirty Talk, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Happy Ending, Interracial Relationship, Kissing, Light-Hearted, Making Out, Oral Sex, POV Character of Color, POV Female Character, POV Male Character, Politics, Romance, Safer Sex, Skateboarding, Smut, Strip Tease, Vaginal Sex, millennial angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-23 17:20:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7472856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evayna/pseuds/Evayna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Palm trees and empty pools, welcome to Galaxy, California.</p>
<p>Everything is about to change for Finn. His late shift working security with people he hates comes to an abrupt end when he chooses to rescue a stranger, and that choice leads him down a path to adventure, espionage, skateboarding, and Rey.</p>
<p>Engineering student by day and dumpster diver by night, she's barely getting by, alone in the world. But her compulsion to do the right thing brings her into the thick of a Resistance plot, and it's only her wits and her board that can save Galaxy. She can't do it alone, but can she open herself up to Finn, and convince him they're better together?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Just a heads up: although I've reduced the violent content from the source material by like a bajillion for this fic, the first chapter has a brief allusion to police brutality. That's not something that's going to be explored; the story is more about economic violence than physical. All the characters are going to be alright, and it gets brighter from here on.)

Behind the pale walls of the campus and the darkening silhouettes of ragged palm trees, the clouds were turning from peach to plum. Summer was starting, pulling the sunset later and later into Finn's shift. The air was sweet with a hint of warm asphalt, as bugs swung in circles around the buzzing lamps that lined the quad. He was on patrol, walkie-talkie on his hip and campus security patch on his shoulder. Being sent to do perimeter checks meant more time to stretch his legs and think. He hated his job. If he could pretend he was just going for a walk and simply happened to shoo away kids with spray cans or interrupt drug deals, it made it bearable. His boss was awful. His co-workers were awful. The company was awful. He didn't like being alone but he couldn't stand being around them. Even the university itself was corrupt and miserable. It looked like a mall and had about the same balance of trying to take young people's money versus actually educating them. It was still a beautiful night. A night he'd have to work through.

Finn was about to open a pack of gum when there was shouting and a slam just around the corner in front of him. He rushed across the pavement, pulse suddenly racing. One of his co-workers was yanking at the arm of a man about Finn's height and build, knocking out of his hands a skateboard with orange wheels.

"What's going on?" Finn asked, distressed and breathing hard.

"Caught this guy in the main office just now, looking shady as fuck," the other guard said. He pulled harder on the man's arm to unbalance him, adding "What did you take, hombre?"

The guy was way more relaxed than Finn expected. With a handsome smile he said, "Search me."

"Yeah, just you wait," the guard said. To Finn he sneered, "Find me something."

Finn took in the surroundings while the guard lead the suspect stumbling towards the security office. He felt paralyzed for a moment before looking around. There wasn't any backpack or bag of stash thrown behind the shrubbery. There weren't any scratches on the keyhole, no broken glass. There wasn't any evidence at all. Finn turned when he heard the security guard on desk getting worked up. Did they just snatch up some random brown dude based on nothing? He booked it over and when he opened the door his two co-workers were going hard. One was holding the guy's shoulders against a chairback, the other was up in his face, shouting.

"Whoa, whoa!" said Finn reaching out to pull him back.

"Stay out of this!" the desk guard shouted, spit flying from his mouth. He turned back to the innocent man, "If you think you're gonna get away with this you have another thing coming."

The one holding his shoulders looked up conspiratorially, "Let's call the police. I think that one lieutenant is off suspension after his 'excessive force' video got dismissed."

"Good idea," the desk guard grinned. "Maybe we should give him a few bruises so they can say they found him this way. Fell down the stairs or some shit."

The room was spinning. Finn felt everything going so fast, he knew he was expected to just go along with it, but he couldn't. Ever. "Hey guys?" he said, swallowing his anxiety, "I found some fresh footprints on the quad, there's another thief out there."

Both their eyes lit up. The desk guard pulled out a taser and bared his teeth. "You watch this guy, we'll bring that bastard to justice." They pushed around Finn out the door, moving like navy seals.

As the door swung back shut, Finn was left staring at the man handcuffed to the chair. They were both amazed. Catching his senses, Finn rushed over to unlock the cuff, words pouring out of his mouth, "I am so sorry man I'm so sorry…"

"It's fine," the guy huffed. He raised up his chin, "What's your name?"

"Finn," he said, opening the cuff and throwing it to the floor.

"Thank you, Finn. My name's Poe." His big brown eyes were sincere as he rubbed his freed wrist, never breaking eye contact.

"We need to get out of here. Like, right now."

"Good plan."

They threw themselves across the room and through the door, Finn pulling on Poe's sleeve to go away from the offices. They ran around a corner and into a parking lot before Poe suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong? We need to get out of here."

"I need to go back."

"What? No! They'll know I was lying, they've probably already called the cops!"

"You can go on, but I need to go back to Jakk U." Poe turned heel and ran back towards where he'd been grabbed.

Finn gritted his teeth in disbelief, but ran after him anyway.

"What's wrong with you?" he called, seeing Poe pick up the skateboard and scramble back towards him.

"You'll find out," he grinned, racing right by him as the pounding steps and voices of the other security guards came from around the corner. One of them was saying something about dispatch into his cellphone. This was a disaster.

Finn rocketed back after Poe into the same parking lot as before, weaving under the seafoam glow of lightposts and into the purple darkness of the woods that divided the school from the suburbs. There wasn't a path so much as a few more cigarette butts and broken sage scrubs to go by, but the rush of adrenaline and the lingering sunset saved them from tripping up on oak roots and rocks. They burst out onto a quiet street of white cookie-cutter houses with red tile roofs, lights in windows shining over family dinners. Swerving past a line of palm trees they bolted down an alleyway. If they tried to hide out in someone's manicured lawn they'd just have cops called on them twice in five minutes.

"We can't go that way," Finn called as Poe rounded another corner. "We can't cross the highway, we have to turn-" He stopped talking as the sound of sirens peeled nearby. "Oh shit."

Poe waved his hand at him, "C'mon, I know how we can lose them."

Finn was putting a lot of trust in this stranger. His job, his safety, all of it on the line. But here he was. Intuition pulled him forward, behind the red brakelights cruising down the avenue and into overgrown grass in front of a chain-link fence where Poe had come to a stop. Finn saw him throw his skateboard over the fence, into the wilderness on the other side.

"There's a bit of a drop, but we should be fine," Poe said, taking off his stiff leather jacket and throwing it over too.

"You want to go down a ravine!?"

The sirens were closer now, in a moment the cop car would be in sight.

Finn's skin got goosebumps. "Ok, ravine it is."

Poe took a knee and linked his fingers, boosting Finn up and onto the top of the fence. The chainlink was unstable under his feet. He toppled over and lost his footing on the other side, sending the world spinning. All the roots and rocks he'd missed before were appearing now, knocking him around like a ping pong ball. When his vision spun towards the fence he saw the source of the flashing lights that we're splashing across the trees; red and blue and doom. When he finally came to a painful stop against a fat pine stump, he realized Poe hadn't followed him. All of that work to save him, and he'd just fallen into the cops' hands anyway. And now he was even more incriminated, having fled the scene. "What have I done?" Finn groaned, curling into a ball.

After a moment the grass tickled his nose, and the hum of insects almost rivalled the hum of the cars somewhere above. He turned his face up towards the sky, violet beyond the foliage. On a twig he thought he saw a butterfly cocoon. He had to get up. Leaning on the stump, he lifted his body up from the ground, feeling worn. His work jacket had been stained and torn; where it ripped he could feel bruises forming, invisible under his dark skin.

He didn't know where the ravine led to, so he figured he'd climb back up and follow the avenue somewhere more familiar. The smell of dusty soil and pine needles swam around him as he scrabbled up the side, pulling at branches and any handhold free of sap. Something caught his eye above him, the leather jacket hanging off an old oak. His own jacket was useless, torn and part of his history he couldn't get away from fast enough. He stripped it off and grabbed down the jacket from the tree. It fit like a glove, him and Poe were so similar in size. He wasn't sure how it would look on him; he didn't have that sleek wave of hair to top it off. Remembering where he was he tried to look around for the skateboard. Turned out something on wheels was a lot harder to find on a steep slope. Even though the bottom of the deck was painted bright white it was still impossible to see in all the foliage. Finn groaned at another loss. But in the end, it's just a skateboard.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Alcohol and weed are talked about, but it's chill)

Everything in the massive dumpster was sharp corners. Rey had to be very careful, even with her gloves on. Things were still boxed mostly, that was convenient, but some electronics had been broken painfully, and a motherboard is nothing but little ways to cut yourself. She had a scarf pulled over her mouth in case there was dust from broken monitors, and there was. A peculiar sight on a warm evening; a lean figure standing on an empty tv box, hunched over a dumpster behind the Best Buy. The lightposts buzzed a sterile white over a dozen cars and trucks, but mostly it was empty. Most people had gone home, or out to eat. Rey was hungry too, but she wanted to find something flashy to sell so she could afford one of those overstuffed bougie burritos tonight. She was craving something warm and fresh. She was craving anything new. Instant noodles had lost a lot of their charm, and yogurt was not a breakfast.

She packed another smartphone box into her backpack after shaking it to make sure it was full. Maybe it had been the display phone, or it was last season's model. She'd have to charge it just the same to make sure it worked, whatever road it had taken to the rubbish pile. Pulling the straps tight, she grabbed her skateboard and dropped the dumpster lid down carefully. She was about to head out to the main street when she saw some cops peel by, sirens blaring. They probably weren't called on her. Probably. She decided to take a more circuitous route.

On the other side of the parking lot trees sloped down into a shallow part of the ravine. She tucked her board between her back and her bag, feeling its sturdy presence like a friend. She slid down easily between the shrubs, dirtying her already browned shoes. It wasn't a bad shortcut anyway, lots of stuff ended up here. There was a shopping cart, a pair of big workboots, what looked like a smashed toaster oven. What she didn't expect to find amongst the refuse was a pristine new skateboard. She pounced on it immediately, spinning it around in her hands and feeling her pupils dilate. The orange wheels weren't worn uneven, the grip tape was rough, and on the bottom it was painted white with abstract orange and grey graphics. It wasn't garbage, this was loved by someone. She saw on the tail someone had written in clear print: Property of Poe.

She could pull at least $200 for a full rig like this. But she couldn't. It wasn't hers to sell. She couldn't leave it here either though, one summer storm would take it far away. She pulled out a folded canvas bag from an outside pocket of her pack and fit the board inside. She didn't want it getting scratched up. Poor Poe.

By the time she got to the bar near campus, she had a film of sweat on her hands and neck. Going down the ravine was a lot easier than going up. Outside the night was turning indigo all around her. Inside, the music was some sort of reggae chillhop genre mix, and the clatter of students talking and laughing about things that aren't funny. She took some time to clean herself up before going in, though her clients liked that she was a little edgy. She was appealing to the kids with plenty of money to throw around for overpriced beers, but who grimaced at the idea of paying full price for a new tablet. She didn't have to smile, basically.

As she came through the door she passed under red, yellow, and green chili lights. The place was strung up with tiny lanterns and a never used disco ball; on the walls were old movie posters and a corkboard covered in polaroids of people chugging. The crowd wasn't dense yet, the sun had only just disappeared, but there were at least two guys in beanies that she zeroed in on.

Her bag was a bit lighter and her rubberband wallet a little heavier when she saw a sweaty black guy in a nice leather jacket come in. She took in the dirt on his nice shoes and only got more curious. She slinked over to the bar where she watched him from behind a vase filled with paper umbrellas. His body language was conflicted, he was trying to appear friendly and approachable to the blue-haired bartender, but he was obviously nervous. Rey covered her opposite ear discreetly so she could overhear him easier.

"I have a really flexible schedule and I'm a hard worker-"

"Do you have any bar-tending experience?"

"Not professionally, yet, but I know the basics and I'm a quick learner."

"What cocktails have you made?"

"Uh, rum and coke? And gin and tonic! And uh-"

"Anything without the ingredients in the name? Do you know how to make a boulevardier?"

"A boulevard? I… Do people actually order that? Isn't it mostly just pitchers of beer here?"

The bartender was very off-put by that, placing a hand on a jutted hip and lifting her nose. "Can you tell me the difference between an IPA and a lager?"

Rey saw the guy wavering. He pointed confidently. "The colour!"

"Please." The bartender gave him a patronizing grimace before walking away, leaving him leaning on the bar, dropping his head to stare at a bowl of wasabi peas and run a hand over his face.

Rey's heart went out to him. He looked around her age, and she knew how hard it was to find a job that didn't ask for 5 years experience and a degree. She was working on her own degree now, but it felt like a treadmill. Her debt grew and in the end what would it even mean? That was too much to think about right now. She had a surge of millennial solidarity, and walked over to sit next to him at the bar.

"Can I buy you a drink?"

He was clearly startled, nearly upending the wasabi peas when he threw his hand down. "What?"

"You look like you need a mojito." She got the bartender's attention. "A mojito please?"

The bartender smiled falsely before getting to work.

"Uh, why are you buying me a mojito?"

Rey popped one of the peas in her mouth. "She could've just said they weren't hiring. If she's gonna hassle you, she'll have to deal with a hassle drink."

"You don't have to do that."

"Don't worry, I'll still tip."

He turned towards her on his stool, tilting his head and taking her in.

"Just a little bit of justice," she said, squinting and holding her finger and thumb a millimetre apart.

He chuckled softly and held out a hand. "I'm Finn."

She smiled at him. He looked very handsome now he was less nervous. "I'm Rey." She forgot to shake his hand.

"You a backpacker or something?" he asked, gesturing to her loads of bags.

"No, I'm a local. I go to school near here, at Jakk U."

"Oh yeah? I…" Finn crinkled his nose. "I know that place."

Rey leaned in a little closer. "It's the worst, isn't it?"

Finn smiled, "Yeah, it absolutely is."

Rey felt all warm.

"But you know, it is the best ranked post-secondary school in Galaxy, California."

She laughed. It was the only one.

The bartender returned, setting the drink down hard on the bar in front of them. Rey gave her a bill from her newly gotten gains. She felt wealthy, but she knew that wouldn't last.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "It means a lot after the night I've had."

The bar wasn't so loud anymore, and somehow the lights were softer around the edges. She'd just met him but she felt completely at ease. Maybe she could linger here a little longer...

When Finn went to pick the drink up, a streak of the spilled cocktail got on the sleeve of his leather jacket. "Oh shit," he said, taking it off so the sticky rum wouldn't roll up his arm.

"Do you ne-" Rey stopped mid sentence. She was about to offer help, but as Finn pulled off the jacket, she saw familiar writing on the inside. 'Property of Poe'.

"Do I what?" Finn asked, wiping a napkin on his wrist. She saw he had a scrape on the base of his palm.

She blinked. "Do you… go by any other names than Finn?"

He looked perplexed. "Uh, do you mean, like on Facebook? No, I'm just me. Just Finn."

Her mind raced. She'd knew Poe's skateboard wasn't in that ravine long, and there's no way someone would just throw it away. No jacket, no board, what happened to Poe?

"You know, I just remembered something," she said, steadying on her stool and moving to get up. "There's a job board out the back. We should go take a look."

"Great! We can check it out after this drink," he said, putting the jacket back on.

"Let's look now," she said, ferocity building in her eyes.

"O… kay."

She led him out past the bathrooms and through the back door, where they emerged in an alleyway with a half-finished patio and a bucket for cigarette butts. He looked very confused. She turned on him.

"Where did you get that jacket?"

"What?"

"You show up looking over your shoulder with scrapes and bruises, wearing another man's jacket. Tell me right now, what did you do? Did- did you mug someone!?"

"No!" Disbelief exploded on his face. "I'm not a mugger!"

"You just happen to be wearing a jacket that says 'Property of Poe' and have mud on your shoes the same night I pull," she extracted the skateboard from the canvas bag and waggled it at him, "this skateboard, labeled 'Property of Poe', from the ravine?"

"You found his board?" Finn's eyes lit up. "Did you see him anywhere?"

"Yes, I found- Wait what?"

"Poe and I, we got into some trouble together, well, not like that, he was innocent and I was busting him out, it's just there were police and I fell in the ravine and I still don't know what happened to him. I'm really worried."

Rey scrunched up her face, trying to think. She took a breath and then opened her eyes. "Ok, I guess that makes more sense."

"It does?"

"Yeah, I mean. You seemed like a nice person."

"I am!"

Rey laughed, then felt a bit bashful. "Sorry I jumped to accuse you."

"I appreciate that," he said, rubbing one hand behind his head. "Not the first time it's happened to me."

Rey felt some guilt, and another surge of empathy for this man she'd just met. "So what should we do? I feel like I need to get this board back to Poe, but I've never even seen him."

"I think we've got to find someone who knows him. We can return his stuff and find out what happened to him. I don't even know what he was doing in Jakk U to begin with."

"Wait, you were-"

From an alcove across the alley a garbage can lid came crashing towards them, followed by two students stinking of weed. "Shit dudes," one of them coughed, putting his hands out. "If you see Jakk U security we were not here okay?" He bolted off.

"What?"

The other one stumbled to her feet, scooping baggies back in her pockets. "My buddy just texted, they're coming out _here_. They can't arrest me if I'm not on campus right?"

"They could detain you if they catch you possessing," Finn answered.

"Fuck!" The dealer ran off.

Finn looked at Rey. "Uh, we need to go too. Like, right now.

"Trouble?"

"Trouble."

"Ok," she nodded, pulling out her board from it's straps. "You know how to skate?"

"Haven't done it since I was a kid."

Her mouth pinched small. "Ok, you take mine."

"Really?" he said, taking the board she handed him like a beautiful gift.

"Yeah, Poe won't want a newbie scratching up his deck." She dropped Poe's orange and white board to the pavement and hopped on. "No need for tricks, just kick, push, and coast. Only hard part is keeping your balance, but the faster you go the easier it gets."

"No problem," he said getting on, and wobbling slightly. She pushed away from the bar door and rolled down the alleyway, looking over her shoulder. He followed closely, but a crack in the pavement made him throw out his hand towards hers, grasping it.

"Let go!" she said, throwing his hand off. "You'll just tip me over too."

"Ok, ok," he said, raising his hands and kicking off again. He leaned into it and curved around the uneven concrete.

"You ready?" she said, and when he nodded she picked up speed and they flew downhill past dumpsters and under street lamps.

It was a rush. Rey always felt a current of energy through her when she was skateboarding. The warm air was splashing against her skin, whipping the stray hairs around her face like a cheerleader's pom poms. She was excited. She was on a mission. Somehow she'd rode into a mystery, and Rey felt more connected than ever to the weirdness of Galaxy. When she looked over her shoulder she saw Finn with a huge smile on his face, pushing off again and overtaking her. She took up the challenge, sweeping forward into an intersection. She almost ran over the toes of a security guard, wearing the Jakk U badge and an ugly look.

"You!" the guard shouted, pointing a flashlight at Finn as he whipped by. There was no time to think. They kicked off harder and the guards took up chase. The ray of light bounced into the alley ahead of them, throwing their shadows around as loud footfalls beat towards them. At least they had a head start.

"We've gotta lose them!" Finn called.

"This way!" said Rey, and she turned through the narrow open fence of a construction site, jiggling the chain-link with her backpack. Bare lightbulbs in yellow cages hung from the bones of a future building, and the ground was freshly dried concrete, smooth under her wheels. She rode a plank down to a lower level, and ducked under a hanging wire. She looked back to see Finn, and he ignored the plank, pulling a neat ollie as he jumped off the ledge to the floor. "Not bad!" she called. Turns out the boy could ride.

Shouts came from the guards, and the shaking of the chain-link fence as they burst into the site sent a shiver up her spine.

There weren't many places to hide, only a handful of the walls had insulation installed. Losing these creeps would require creativity. "Finn!" she called, "I need you by that barrel!"

Finn nodded, "Gotcha" and swerved around a toolbox. He grinded the edge of the higher floor before hopping up and taking position.

The guards were stumbling down and heading right for him.

Rey lined up next to them on the elevated level and started pumping. Her foot hit the concrete hard, over and over, building up speed.

"My hand!" she shouted, and Finn reached his out, grasping hers and swinging her around to make a hairpin turn and ride a ramp up over the heads of the guards. She pulled a cable coil from the open ceiling, yanking it down towards the pursuers. The weight of it tangled around them instantly knocking them off their feet, and half the lights went out in a flash. She had too far to fall, so she gripped the edge of the deck and landed catlike to the concrete, the board in her hand. Throwing it beneath her she hopped on and shot back up the plank, and out into the alleyway. She stopped for a moment, looking over her shoulder. Her heart was racing and her lungs were bouncing against her ribcage. She'd just assumed Finn would seize the moment and escape, but what if he was too caught by surprise? What if he was hurt? She was about to go back in when the fence shook again and Finn soared out, his eyes wide.

"Go go go!" he said, half-laughing and half-crazy.

Rey beamed and skated to his side as they peeled off down the alley. Exhilarated. They took off down a street and hopped a curb over to an avenue. Swerving around pedestrians on the sidewalk and ducking under hanging signs for 5-dollar haircuts, they rode wild. Rey realized they were both laughing. The night air was fresh, and the sweat on her skin felt cool and sticky. Green lights and neon signs gave way to stop signs and palm trees, and she realized everything but them was growing quiet. They coasted slower and she saw him close his eyes and just glide, face towards the night sky. The clouds were dark and comforting. When he opened his eyes and looked at her, she gestured over to a grassy hill beside a playground, and they both rolled over to it then collapsed off their boards. She lay belly down, breathing in the smell of fresh grass and cooling earth. She heard him breath deeply.

Taking off her backpack, she switched to lying on her side, their knees just inches away.

"You were amazing," he said. Reverence, joy, everything was in his face.

Rey started gushing "You were amazing! I saw you in the construction site; you were so adaptive! And I can't believe you just trusted me like that, I should've told you more of what I was thinking, and-"

"Of course I trusted you, you're a genius! What you did with that cable, and that jump! I didn't see you land when the lights went out but I just knew you made it, you're like a skateboarding goddess!"

"A goddess!?" Rey laughed. "Well that explains the shrines down at the skatepark."

"Damn. I've never been in a proper skatepark; me and my siblings just messed around in parking lots. You must be next level."

Rey rolled onto her back, resting her head on her arms. "I had a few teachers. Mostly the other kids at the rec centre. I just started going there for the free lunch program, but after a while everyone was so friendly and the half-pipe was so alluring, I had to get on a board."

"Lunch program, huh?"

"Yeah, it meant I could save food stamps up for a better dinner. Maybe if I wasn't a stupid teen I could've even gotten more fresh vegetables." She leaned her head towards him conspiratorially, explaining "I've always had a terrible sweet tooth."

Finn grinned at her. "Me too."

"Oh yeah?" she said, propping up on one elbow. "Like what?"

"Like cutting a jelly donut in half and adding whipped cream."

"Ooh, yeah! Or braiding red licorice strings together and then just stuffing the whole thing in your mouth."

"Haha! Oh, and dipping a ring pop in kool-aid mix!"

"Wow, you're hardcore," Rey giggled.

"I live on the edge," he joked. It was funny, in being fake smooth he was still really smooth. Rey could feel her heartbeat in her ears again.

"I'm so glad I met you," she whispered.

Finn's breath caught a little. "Me too."

They were staring at each other when the first raindrop fell on her cheek. He reached out with his thumb and wiped it away gently. Barely an instant passed before one struck his forehead, splashing his eye shut. One after another the fat raindrops came falling, and suddenly they were laughing again and she was holding her backpack over them for cover, huddled with their knees together. The grass was gonna start staining her skinny jeans if she didn't move.

"We're gonna get soaked if we stay here. Where should we go?"

Finn rolled his tongue around in his mouth. "I don't want to go home. I really don't want to tell my asshole roommate what happened today." He looked over at her. "And I'd like to stick around."

"Of course, we still need to find Poe."

"That too," he said very quietly.

"Ok, well there has to be some-" Rey squinted out from under the backpack. "Is that Han?"

"Who's Han?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Who's Han?"

"He's a man about town. C'mon, let's say hi." Rey got up, helping Finn to his feet. They grabbed the boards and jogged down the hill to the street. On a big scooter loaded with stuff, hanging with more bags than even Rey had, was an old chinese man wearing a rain poncho. He smiled when he saw her. Finn hung back a little.

"Rey! What are you doing out in the rain?" Han had friendly eyes and plump fingers, pointing at her as if she didn't know where she was.

"Looking for a place to go actually. Do you know anywhere we can crash tonight?"

Finn looked at her skeptically, but Han nodded.

"Yeah, yeah. I can take you to Maz. Just hold on to the back, I'll take you right there."

"Awesome!" Rey set Poe's skateboard down behind the scooter, gripped onto the back, and planted both feet on the deck. She gestured for Finn to do the same.

Finn went to set the backpack onto the front basket, but Han stopped him. He lifted up a blanket to show a small brown shih tzu. "Can't go there, that's Chewie's spot."

"Are you serious?"

The dog barked at him viciously.

"No problem," Finn said, a little overwhelmed. He threw the backpack onto his own shoulders and then got on a skateboard next to Rey.

"You holding on?" Han asked.

"Yes!" they called.

And with that he revved the scooter's engine and jerked forward. Finn could barely keep his balance. Rey almost didn't laugh.

"How is this so fast?" he said to Rey, loud enough that the wind wouldn't just sweep his voice away.

"I help him with some modifications from time to time," Rey grinned. Finn had about a million questions about that.

The wind was swiping rain over them almost perfectly horizontal, and in between the drops the early summer air was still warm. It was electrifying. The pavement was a blur beneath the skateboards, a grey sweep of past and present, disappearing instantly. Finn couldn't tell if he was elated or terrified. He looked over to Rey and saw the same.

Han only slowed down when they veered into a residential area with old, slightly worn tall houses. One house was decorated with tibetan prayer flags and had a vegetable garden instead of a front lawn. He turned into the gravel driveway and came to a stop.

"This is Maz's place. She'll have a couch for you in there, and make you some congee." He lifted his chin to Rey. "You need some."

"As you say, Han," Rey said, clapping him on the shoulder and nodding her thanks.

"Mind your manners in there. Just because they're anarchists doesn't mean there's no house rules."

"Gotcha," she said over her shoulder, trotting up the stairs to the front door. Finn followed her, crowding the veranda and getting out of the rain. The windows were taped with a bunch of flyers and zines, and draped over the front door was a banner that read 'Resistance is Fertile'.

Finn said quietly to her, "Are we just gonna stay with a bunch of strangers?"

"I've heard of Maz, though we haven't met yet. They're used to people in need dropping by. Have you never been to an anarchist house?"

"Can't say I have."

"Well, don't bring up meat or marxism and you should be fine."

"Okay…"

Rey knocked on the front door and a small black woman with huge glasses and a headscarf answered.

"More guests?" she asked, a smell of smoked paprika floating in the air around her.

"If we may. Just tonight."

"Of course, of course. Come in," she said, coming away from the door and summoning them inside. "There's a pot of yam and collard greens on the stove, and the rice cooker should be finishing any moment."

"Perfect!" Rey said. Her stomach rumble was audible.

He realized how hungry he was too, and let his body pull him across the threshold. "Hi, I'm Finn and your place is uh…" he looked up to see a grotesque painting overlooking the stairs, "…beautiful."

"Ah, so polite! I am Maz. And thank you, but it is not just my home. It belongs to all of us." She smiled with her big eyes and put a hand on his arm. "Ah, strong too!"

Finn did not appreciate Rey's amused look.

He let Maz lead him deeper into the house. She was very small, but not to be resisted. "Come, come, all the bedrooms are in use right now, but the livingroom has a couple couches. I'm sure if you want them moved somewhere else you can just lift them!" She gave his biceps a final pat.

Finn raised his eyebrows at Rey, and she just absolved herself of it, taking the backpack off his shoulders and putting away the skateboards. He grimaced at Maz. "Is there at least a blanket?"

"All that you need is here." She peered at him through her thick glasses. "You know, I see many young people just like you come through here, who think they have problems no one can solve. I'll tell you this: In my considerable experience, that is never the case."

"I'll take your word for it."

Maz shrugged and let him go, turning to open a linen closet. Finn moved towards the incredible smell.

When he entered the yellow kitchen the rice cooker dinged and a waft of steam fogged the window looking out on a rainy night. Rey appeared at his side, pulling him towards the food on the stove top. A wave of warmth and comfort washed over him. She ducked her head under the hanging copper pots and lifted the ladle out of a bubbling saucepan for him to smell. It felt like home.

Maz had waddled off behind a beaded curtain half an hour ago and left them with two bowls filled with second helpings. In his hands the ceramic was still warm to the touch. He had watched Rey devour hers in a mad rush, like a hungry tornado. He'd gone slower, luxuriating in the spices and the soft textures on his tongue. Now they were sitting on a quilt covered couch, pointing at book spines in the stacked milk-crate bookcase across the room and making jokes about the titles.

"Hey Rey, what did Orwell do when he left his cat by itself in Spain?"

"Oh my god, just go to sleep," she said, pulling the leather jacket loosely over her shoulders.

"He wrote an Homage to Cat-alone-ia."

"Noooo," she moaned, half-laughing. She nudged his leg with her socked foot. "Hey, what turned the handyman into an electrician?"

"What?" Finn smiled. He rubbed his cheek against the soft orange crochet draped over the sofa.

She pointed. "Understanding Power."

Finn threw his head back laughing. Something about being exhausted made everything hilarious. "Have you actually read any of these?"

"Chomsky doesn't come up in mechanical engineering as much as you'd think," she said, tucking her legs under herself.

"Really?" he said.

"Really," she answered, leaning against him and tucking her head against the muscle of his shoulder.

He'd felt so relaxed an instant ago. Suddenly his body had perked up and his heart was beating faster. He looked down at her long brown eyelashes over her freckled skin. She was just so-

His phone buzzed in his back pocket. He'd nearly sat on it, and now it was an earthquake under him. "Sorry," he said, disturbing Rey and yanking it out. It was his asshole roommate, of course.

"Hello?"

As he answered the phone the beaded curtain parted and a strange man in wet baggy clothes came in. He was in need of a shave, but apparently in greater need of a place to sleep because he only nodded at them before going and lying down on the other couch at the end of the room.

"Why aren't you home yet, I thought I told you I wanted the dishwasher emptied as soon as you got home." Her voice through the phone was as impatient and stern as real life.

"Yeah, I know, I'm just-"

"Is this because of the sirens I heard coming from Jakk U?"

"Yeah, there was a break-in on campus and uh, the cops need to talk with all the security guards. I don't think I'll be home tonight."

"Ok, but when I see you we need to talk about updating the lease. And you need to start watering your plants more."

"Yeah, Phasma, I will. I gotta get back to work now."

"Bye." Phasma hung up before Finn could say anything more. He'd pay for that lie later. But then, what else could he have said, the truth? That he'd thrown away his job and was maybe wanted by the police?

Finn looked over at the man on the other couch, his breathing rough with asthmatic rasps but his sleep apparently sound. Finn's complete lack of future crept in on him. Not only did he have no job, but he'd left so dramatically that there was no way he'd get a reference. Actually, they'd probably call around to all the other security jobs in town and tell them what happened before Finn could even apply. He didn't always want to do security - or ever, really - but he'd been mortified at the bar when it was shown how little he knew about doing anything else. What if he couldn't get any job, and he couldn't renew the lease, and he ended up like this? Nothing against the people living this way, going from couch to couch, but he didn't think he could take it.

And what if Poe did do something criminal, and the cops pulled in Finn for aiding and abetting? Would he pay a fine, or have to do jail time? He didn't know what the penalty was, but it would definitely go on his record. He'd have a criminal record. Oh god. And that's assuming he didn't get a cop on a bad day.

He was so caught up in his head, he didn't realize Rey was looking at him with her eyebrows lowered.

"Those were your co-workers chasing us?" she said.

He nodded.

"I was really scared."

"I'm sorry," he said.

"It's okay, I just… What about Poe?"

Finn gulped. "I'm sorry, Rey. I don't think I can help him. I think I need to stay out of it."

"But Finn, we were gonna figure this out together."

"I know, and I want to, but I can't. I just don't think it's safe. It may not be safe for either of us. They saw you with me, they'll think you were involved."

"I am involved."

"Rey…"

"I don't have enough energy to argue about this right now, okay?"

"But Rey…"

"I'm just gonna… We're just gonna sleep, okay?"

He let go. "Okay."

Finn felt her rest her head on his shoulder again, and realized his eyes were closed to keep any tears from coming out. What had he done?

Sun came through a gap in the cigarette-brown curtains and warmed his ear and neck with a brushstroke of light. He didn't remember falling asleep, but he didn't remember being awake all night either. Logic says he slept and he slept hard. Finn blinked his eyes open and moved his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He hadn't brushed his teeth last night, and it felt like he'd chewed on a sponge. The couch at the end of the room was empty, and the sound of spoons stirring against mugs came tinkling from the kitchen. He started, realizing the couch next to him was empty too.

"Rey?"

The backpack and the jacket were gone. The blanket had been tucked around his shoulders. He stroked his fingers over it before pulling it off and getting up. Toeing his feet into his shoes, he lumbered over to the kitchen, rubbing sleep gunk from the corners of his eyes.

He accepted a coffee from Maz, who looked at him with a soft expression. "Morning." Everyone in the kitchen was a stranger, everything about this place was foreign. "Do you know where Rey went?"

"I woke up when she left, but I don't know where she's gone," said Maz. "She must have her own places to be. Some journeys start early."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Finn felt deflated. He thanked Maz for her hospitality, insisted on tidying up, and with light steps he left. The flags were casting different coloured shadows on the porch as the sunlight seeped through palm tree boughs and over shingled roofs. The pavement was just starting to warm, and he wished he had something more to wear. He'd go home and change. He'd just go home.

When he hung his keys on their hook he was happy to see his roommate's keys were absent. He couldn't deal with Phasma right now. She knew just how to push his buttons, and avoiding confrontation had always been his best strategy. He dropped his clothes and took a shower, feeling where he was starting to heal from his tumble down the ravine. He came out of it pretty good actually. And it was amazing he hadn't fallen off that skateboard last night. Some sort of energy had come into him, a confidence. His time messing around as a kid felt more like preparation. He'd felt so alive.

The towel was rough against his short hair and neck as he walked back through the livingroom, looking at the plants on the windowsill. They did need watering. He got dressed and then filled a glass of water. It was cold after his hot shower, and the contrast woke him up as he downed it in a few deep gulps. He refilled the glass and brought it over to the small array of pots. Basil, rosemary, mint. He poured the water over them and touched their leaves, so soft. He bent down and breathed in the mint. He never even got a sip of that mojito. They just left it there on the bar. They just ran away with each other into the night.

And he never got her number. Or her last name. Rey...

He had to find her. He had to see her again. And again and again because he needed that feeling, of being with her. That excitement and comfort and wonder and possibility. And he needed to make things right. He'd been trying to keep her out of the trouble he was in, and there was nothing wrong with that, but it wasn't what she wanted. She'd been so ready to step up, whatever the consequences. Finn didn't know if she didn't realize what was at stake, or if she really didn't care, but he'd never know just thinking to himself.

Finn didn't have a lot to go on, so he followed his instincts. She was a skater. She'd learned from the other kids at the rec centre skatepark. It was worth a try.

The morning was starting to heat up when he arrived at the open air skatepark. It was surrounded by a small field and just a third of the concrete boasted graffiti; likely the rest had been painted over. There was only one person there, an east asian girl his age with one leg dangling off the tall edge of a bowl. As he walked over she nodded up at him, then took another bite of her burrito.

"Sup," she said.

"How's it going?" As he came closer he could see she was sitting on a board and rolling slowly side to side. As he came even closer he could see she was smoking a blunt.

"Just chillin'," she said. "It's looking like a beautiful day." She held out the joint towards him.

"I'm good. I'm actually looking for someone."

"Yeah? You're the second person today."

"Did they find who they were looking for?" He leaned on a rail, bending towards her.

"Nah, but that's what I'm here for."

Finn squinted at her. This was a weird conversation. "I'm Finn," he said. "What's your name?"

"Jessika," she smiled, before taking another bite of burrito. She shifted her weight and part of the flannel shirt tied around her hips lifted, revealing bright orange wheels on the board.

"That's Poe's board!" The words burst from his mouth before he could think.

She starting laughing, and kept at it as he got more confused.

"Yeah!" she said, still giggling. She settled herself a little, only smiling. "A friend asked me if I knew him and I was like 'yeah, he just got hired as a mentor at D'Qar rec centre' and she was so hype until we remembered it doesn't open until 9:30 and she couldn't stick around, but I've got nothing going, so here I am, on board duty."

"You're friends with Rey!?"

"Yeah!" she said, smiling even broader. "Damn, you must be that guy from last night. She was right about you."

"What?" What did she say about me?" Finn was suddenly birdlike, unable to stay still.

"Haha, I can't say that. You gotta ask her, buddy."

"I'd love to," he said, a little exasperated. "She's who I'm looking for. You said Rey couldn't stick around, do you know where she went?"

Jessika made a sympathetic face. "She went to class. Jakk U, man."

"Oh shit. Oh no."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know how much she told you about last night, but I got her messed up in some trouble I'm in. Campus security is gonna think she was involved with something she wasn't. They're definitely gonna question her, and what if they call the cops? What if she gets expelled?"

"That school's a rip off anyway."

"I'm serious! I need to go there. I need to explain it all to the Dean!"

"And you think that'll work? What are you gonna say?"

Finn's mouth snapped shut. What could he say? Rey was involved because of Finn, but also because of Poe, and Finn was involved because of Poe, but he didn't even know what Poe was actually doing there that night. Depending on if Poe was released or if he was charged with theft or b&e or whatever, it would make a big difference for them.

Resignation twisted inside him. "I need to find Poe."

She took a puff and nodded. "I've only known Poe a little while, but he's a really good guy. I'm sure he'd be happy to help you two out."

Finn scuffed the pavement with his heel. "How long until 9:30?"


	4. Chapter 4

The second hand on the clock moved like a fly rubbing its hands; Rey was convinced it went backwards a couple times. The professor was wheezing about heat transfer while the room itself was starting to cook. Windows lined the east wall, and the line of shade was moving like molasses across the room. Rey was tired but restless. She'd woken up unnaturally early, but still barely got to her morning class on time. In front of her a sketchbook was slowly morphing from schematic formulas into the soft lines of Finn's sleeping face. He hadn't stirred when she got up, he only took a deep breath. She watched it lift his chest and lay it back to rest against the couch cushions, like a boat riding a wave. She pressed hard on the paper to darken his eyelashes, shading in his cheekbones and the sweeping curves of his nose with graphite precision. She was mesmerized again.

A firm knock shook the glass on the classroom door. She slammed the textbook over her drawing instinctively and all the other students perked up. The professor opened the door, consulted with the figure on the other side, and summoned Rey. "To the dean's office."

Rey poured her books into her bag and stood up, twisting a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The hallway was cooler than the classroom, walls of robin's egg blue lockers and only intermittent windows. It was quiet too, the only clumps of people talking were around the vending machine. She passed by them, straightening her shoulders and getting ready to see the dean. The patter of her feet bringing her closer and closer.

He was sitting hunched forward, a laptop open on the desk in front of him. It was surrounded with souvenirs and small trophies, all overshadowed by a massive obsidian pen holder. A small plant was withering.

"Dean Plutt, you asked to see me?"

"There's a matter you need to account for."

"Yes, sir?"

He lifted his grim face and peered at her. "You were seen absconding with a renegade security officer who had just that evening absconded himself with a detained suspect. You led Jakk U security guards on a merry chase that led to substantial injury and a cost to the university."

"Substantial injury?"

He looked back down to his laptop. "I've been informed a first aid kit was opened."

"Must have been substantial," she said quietly, raising her eyebrows.

"Young lady, this may be a matter of expulsion!"

"I don't see why," she answered, cloaking herself in confidence. "I don't think I even understand what you're accusing me of doing."

He flustered, his face pinkening.

A secretary knocked on the door and peeked a coiffed head through the gap. "The representative from First Order Investments is here."

"Ah!" said Plutt. "Good good, send him in."

Rey moved aside as a chiaroscuro streak of man in a suit slipped through the open door. He was taller than her and tried to be even taller with a raised nose and book-balancing posture. Rey instinctively stepped back. This was new.

After leaving some things on a chair in the corner, he floated over to the desk and waved a hand. "May I?" he asked the dean.

Plutt immediately complied, sweeping a space on the desk clear. "Of course, Ben. What's mine is yours."

"Thank you," he said, voice artificially deep, like his vocal chords were straining for authority. He opened a folder of paper-clipped sheets and laid them out dramatically. He splayed a hand over them and swiveled his waist, finally looking at Rey. "Miss?"

"Rey," she answered. Quieter than she'd like.

"I know who you are." His face twitched ever so slightly. "Come here."

She slowly walked over, finding a place by the desk and sitting down in the wooden chair provided. When she looked down at the files she had to swallow a gasp. They were all about her. Not just her school record, which was substantial with absences and late payments, but also her bank information, counselor's notes, everything.

"What is this? How do you have this?" She was trying very badly to keep calm.

Plutt answered quickly, trying to stifle her apparent rudeness. "First Order Investments owns this institution, nevermind half the properties in Galaxy. Of course with your particular situation a great deal of information had to be compiled to determine your suitability to attend."

The man, Ben, lifted his chin again. "I'm surprised you were even able to get a student loan, with your history."

"Excuse me?" Shyness had gone right out the window.

Ben dragged long fingers across the files, revealing a second layer. Her failed adoption as a toddler. Memories of the jenga tower of group homes, making her feel more unstable and more empty with every move, every transfer. A juvenile record with a coffee ring staining the delinquency of a child alone in the world. "A ward of the state," he said, slowly turning his head towards her, chins doubling at the angle and eyes boring into her, "would do best to be more co-operative."

Rey burned. She spoke clearly, staring back. "I want a lawyer."


	5. Chapter 5

Finn and Jessika walked down the rec centre's hallway together. D'Qar was actually a pretty big building, there were offices upstairs and a few different community programs scattered around in big white rooms with cheerful murals. Lots of posters echoed themselves in spanish and mandarin, and the water fountain had a little step-stool shaped like a turtle. Jessika had a skip in her step. "My pal here said that the person to ask about Poe is upstairs at the RCLA. Let's check it out."

"You're fantastic," he said, following her up a staircase carpeted like greyhound bus seats. A spider plant was hanging on the window at the landing and as he turned the corner to the second floor he saw a sign pointing left that read 'Resistance Civil Liberties Association' in big blue letters.

They trotted over to the door and opened it, expecting a reception desk. Instead the office was more open-concept, with filing cabinets twinned with stacks of paper nearly overflowing desks and couches. A bulletin board had cards and campaign posters pinned across it; 'Fight For 15!' and 'End Solitary Confinement Now' layered like opinionated foliage. There was someone talking, and as Finn moved past a paper tower he could see a stately older jewish woman.

"…as your lawyer I'm going to advise against that, though I gotta admit it has a nice ring to it," the woman said, putting a filter in the coffee machine.

"Excuse me," Finn said, nervous but hopeful. "Do you know where I can find Poe?"

"Finn!?" came a familiar voice, and shooting up from a couch appeared the man himself. Hair still perfect, smile shining. "You're okay!"

"Me?" Finn spat, shocked and overjoyed. "What about you? I heard the sirens- I thought I'd gotten you out just to get you in even worse!"

"I'm fine," Poe comforted, a gentleness running deep under his casual surface. "I have a great lawyer, got out in no time, no charges. Doesn't hurt that I had absolutely nothing on me."

"Thank you!" Finn gushed to the woman.

She chuckled. "No problem. It's my fault he got into the mess in the first place."

"Leia's being… what's the opposite of modest?" he lifted an eyebrow. The question was rhetorical. "I knew what I was getting into."

"Mmm," Leia hummed. "Well I'm very glad you were there, Finn. That was a very brave thing you did. Things could have gone a lot worse. I just wish we hadn't lost-" She saw Jessika peek around the corner, carrying the jacket and skateboard.

"You angel!" Poe said, twirling between the others and taking the board from her hands. "Jessika you are my favourite student."

"You're like barely a teacher, Poe," she said, smirking. "Also, I only have it because Rey found it."

Poe turned the skateboard over in his hands. "I haven't met her yet, but when I do I guess you'll just have to be my favourite second student."

"I don't understand," Finn said. "Why was a lawyer involved with you skateboarding through campus?"

"Well," said Poe, drawing out the word. He flipped open a compartment by the baseplate of the skateboard's truck, and pulled out a USB stick. "I did technically commit a crime."

Finn was speechless.

"For a cause," Poe added, holding the thumbdrive like an orator.

"Do you know much about the people you worked for?" Leia asked Finn.

"Yeah, the school and all the employees answer to First Order Investments. They're a bunch of rich leeches who don't believe in overtime pay."

"Too true," she said. "They also own a lot of properties all over town; offices, houses, the mall. We've had a string of clients lately that are all dealing with First Order upping their rents or pulling out the fine print on contracts to kick them out. I've been a legal advocate through a lot of corporate attacks, and I can sense there's something more brewing here. We didn't have a chance of getting information from their head office, but we knew they were very hands on at the university. It was the best target if we wanted to know more."

Poe handed her the USB stick. "Ready to confirm your hunch?"

Leia looked back at Finn. "Are you ok with this?"

He was still startled, but the rapids were already sweeping him away. "If it's gonna help people? Yeah, definitely."

Jessika plopped down on a couch. "I wanna see too."

Leia grinned, and inserted the stick, revealing a massive amount of files on the low res monitor.

"Check out the emails," said Poe, tapping his hands excitedly on the desk.

An array of names and messages splashed across the screen as she worked through them. Her eyes widening as she pieced things together. "They're going to take over the whole town."

"Wait, look at this one," Poe said, pointing out a shorter email, written strangely. "That's the bill about student loan regulation California was trying to put through; looks like they had their say about that."

"Who are they saying 'wants discretion', is that the party leader?" Finn asked.

"Wow," Jessika added from the couch. "Straight up blackmailing. That's some corrupt shit there."

"How have they gotten away with all this?" Finn asked. "Hasn't anyone been resisting them?"

"Honey, what do you think the sign on the door says?" Leia offered.

"Speaking of us," said Poe, "Let's do a search." He typed in 'resistance' and a stream of highlighted documents appeared. At the top of the heap was a draft of a notice, addressed to them. The room went silent as they all read the stilted legal text, tension building. Poe's eyebrows lowered and his voice went dark. "They're renovating the whole D'Qar building. The rec centre, Resistance, all the community programs… We're being evicted to make way for higher paying 'luxury' tenants."

"More submissive ones too, I imagine." Leia pressed her palm down the side of her face. "Everything we've built here… All the people we help…"

Jessika got up and wandered over. "What's that name there?"

"What, 'Kylo Ren'?"

"Yeah, isn't that the same one as the blackmail email?"

"Good eye," said Leia. "Weird name. Search for that."

Poe typed in the new search term and another barrage appeared. At the top was the most recent email from yesterday afternoon, sent to the dean.

"'You'll receive supervision at Jakk U tomorrow, since you can't seem to manage your own problems.' What a dick."

Jakk U. Rey. Finn sucked in a rush of air. "I have to go." He raced out of the office and down the stairs, and prayed disaster could wait.


	6. Chapter 6

Rey tapped her foot in the air, bouncing her leg around as she pulled cards out of her rubber-band wallet. A surprising amount of pizza place and boba tea punch cards were piling up beside her on the settee outside the dean's office. She knew she had some sort of legal card somewhere. Inside the office she heard the low rumbly voices of two men she hated, and above her she heard the hiss and occasional click of a struggling air conditioner. Finally her fingers stumbled across a worn card with a friendly font: Resistance Civil Liberties Association & Legal Advocacy. She pulled out her phone and dialed the number.

Her voice was a rush. "Hi, this is Rey. You gave me your card a while ago and I could use some help."

"Ah! We have some friends in common. But if you want us to take on a case, I'm sorry, we just found out our organization may not survive the week. Is it something I can help you with today?"

"Wait, what's happening to Resistance?"

"Our building is going to be gutted and flipped. We'll try to maintain some operations, but there's only so much you can do without an office."

"Wait, aren't you in the D'Qar rec centre?" The place where Rey had been given a new life, with food and friends and a place that wanted her. The heart of Galaxy, California.

"It's all owned by the same company, First Order Investments. I believe you're familiar."

"Fuck," breathed Rey, and she started bouncing her leg more, irritating the secretary who was busy typing at the other side of the office.

"So what are you dealing with there?" Leia asked.

"I'm at Jakk U. There's a guy in a suit threatening me with expulsion, but they don't have proof I did anything."

"Who's threatening you?" her voice turned aggressively maternal. "I know all the players in this town."

"I didn't catch his last name, but he's tall, pale, wears all black. First name Ben." She could see him pacing inside the dean's office through the open crack of the door.

"Oh no. I know him alright. He was my intern for a while, even. Watch out for him, he's a loose cannon."

"What?" said Rey, all comfort disappearing. Her voice was loud enough that the pacing inside stopped.

"He's cutthroat. Very proud, and very impulsive. You need to manage him carefully." Leia was speaking slowly, and as she spoke the spectre appeared, opening the door and looking down at Rey with canny eyes. "Did you hear me?" Leia said, a small tinny voice through the phone in Rey's hand, "You need to be careful."

Rey broke eye contact and dropped her eyes to the pile of black things Ben had set by the office door. A large laptop bag littered with straps, and a raven-glossy skateboard helmet. She looked back up at him and stood to her feet. To Leia she said, "I have an idea." Then she hung up and dropped the phone to the settee behind her.

"Are you ready to co-operate?" Ben asked her, the low threat of a predator hidden in his words.

Plutt leaned over his desk, trying to see what was happening through the open door. Rey straightened her posture and kept looking at Ben. "I'd like to speak with you alone."

He smiled, with his eyes and the creases of his cheeks, but not quite with his mouth. He looked like he was tasting the idea. "Certainly." He marched back into the dean's office, and deposed the dean with a simple, "The room, please."

Plutt looked startled and a bit insulted, but he folded his laptop and carried it out of the room, allowing Rey to close the door behind her once he'd left.

"So," said Ben, leaning artfully on the edge of the desk, one hand placing the pen in the obsidian pen holder.

Rey took in a breath. When Leia had warned her about him she'd said things that made him sound dangerous. But Rey was used to dangerous, sometimes she was dangerous. And she knew that those things don't make a person strong. Impulsive? Proud? Those were weaknesses. Those were openings.

"I saw your helmet; do you skateboard?"

His head tilted, he hadn't expected that. "Yes. Very well."

"Mm," said Rey, slowly taking a perimeter of the small office. "I skate a little too."

She could feel his creepiness buzzing behind her. "I could probably teach you a few things."

"Oh yeah?" she said, coyly over her shoulder.

"I was taught by masters, until I surpassed them."

Rey struggled not to laugh out loud. She struggled, and she failed. The laughter burst out of her like fizz from a pop bottle, bubbling and uncontrollable.

"Why are you laughing?" he said sharply, standing straight from the desk and pulling the shadows around him to stand taller.

"You just think you're such a big deal, and I'm such a piece of garbage," she said, laughing though it wasn't funny. It turned sharper on her tongue. "But I bet I could outpace you, outperform you, outlast you." She nearly spat it. "If you and I ever rode on the same skatepark you'd leave lower than I've ever been."

"You can't talk to me like that, who do you think you are?" he demanded.

"I'm no one."

His chest was still rising and falling hard, but he looked at her confused.

She smiled. "I'm no one, but I'd still absolutely cream you."

Now was his turn to laugh. But it wasn't playful, it was haughty, it was desperate. "Alright, let's prove it. After work today, before sunset."

"D'Qar skatepark."

"Agreed. If I win, you tell me everything that you've been hiding about your involvement in last night's break in and escape, and…" He nearly purred to himself, "You lose your scholarship."

Rey stormed on. "If I win, you leave the D'Qar centre alone. First Order respects the lease and works with all the tenants. No renovictions. No hassle suits."

"How do you know about that?" he said, aghast.

Rey reached beyond him, to the files pouring the story of her life across the desk for anyone to read. "You think you're the only one who knows things?"

He stopped her collecting them, crushing his hand down on hers. A sad picture of her standing a little away from the other children was gazing up between their fingers. "Those files are not yours to take."

"They are mine," she said, fire raising in her. "This is my life. My business."

He lifted his hand, crossing his arms in front of him. A smug look bloomed on his face. "It is your life, isn't it?"

Rey pulled the files together, peering up at him, unsure of what he meant.

"Always alone. Always left behind." He said it so low, so quiet, she almost mistook it for her own thoughts.

He uncrossed his arms again and took grasp of the corners of the desk, lowering his head to her level. "I'll accept this challenge, but… let's make it doubles."

"Double what? We already set the stakes."

"Not the stakes," he said, a condescending grin splitting his face. "The people. 2v2. I bring someone, you bring someone. We win or lose based on the quality of the company we keep."

Rey was startled by this, but didn't have anything to counter with. She feigned confidence. "No problem."

He chuckled to himself, and took the folder of her information out from her grasp. "Good luck."

Rey threw up her chin and stalked over to the door, fingers hovering on the doorknob. She looked back at him as she opened it. "Eat shit."


	7. Chapter 7

There was no point in going back to class. Her body felt like it was in the most absurd state of equilibrium. The freedom of standing up to a bully and making her own choices was exhilarating, she was nearly floating with the joy of it. At the same time the massive stakes of the completely reckless chance she just took and all the ways it could go wrong weighed on her like a lead yoke. She pushed open the doors to the outside and breathed in the fresh, young summer air. Somewhere an orange tree was losing its last few blossoms, and the smell carried across the campus, hovering above the hot pavement. She hopped down the stairs and over to a drinking fountain. She watched the arc of water strengthen and shimmer. It was beautiful. Taking deep gulps she felt the fires still burning in her cool. She was safe now, mostly. The day was hers.

Splashing some water in her hands and over the back of her neck, she saw a strange shape on the other side of the quad. She stood up and watched it expand, a forked lump flashing into view between the palm trees. It turned, and suddenly she understood. It was Han's scooter, but instead of bag and baskets all over, they'd all been hung off one side. On the other side a man was holding on, hitching a ride. There was no way. This was too absurd.

Finn and Han rocketed on, tearing across the paved path through the quad. She realized they weren't looking her way; both their faces were fixed on the building in front of them. The security office. Oh Finn, what was he doing?

"Finn!" she yelled. "Finn!"

The scooter came to a less than steady stop, Finn nearly rolling into Hans lap as the inertia tossed him around. They looked at her, and Rey tilted her head.

She waved.

Finn jumped off the scooter, shouting some sort of thanks over his shoulder, and started running towards her.

Rey wasn't sure if this was one of those moments when two people run towards each other in a field. She wasn't sure what was happening at all. He was fast, and before she could decide what to feel he was in front of her, panting.

"Rey!" he said.

"Hi."

"You're… you're ok?"

"Yeah?" Why did he look so worried?

"I didn't know what to do! You were gone when I woke up and I went looking for you and found Jessika and then I found Poe and he had all these" he exhaled through his teeth the word "emails", and continued "that said First Order was coming down hard and not afraid to do some definitely shady stuff and I was so worried about you, because you'd just walked right into the middle of it and I just…"

They both breathed in simultaneously. She could see his hands twitching to touch her.

She moved to embrace him and he took her in immediately, pressing her close to his warm, broad chest. She ran her hands over his shoulder blades, and tucked her head by his neck. He smelled like ground coffee and musk, not quite pleasant but there was something about him that was so real, so comforting.

She suddenly pulled back, still in his arms but far enough to look him in the face. "What about you? I should be the one who's worried. Can you even be on campus?"

"Probably not," he said. "But I had to come. I couldn't let you face everything alone."

Rey melted. Had anyone ever said that to her? "Thank you," she said; a whisper.

He looked at her, really seeing her, his hands still gently on her waist.

"I just have to-" she said.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry." He let her go and linked his hands behind his back, hovering a couple feet away from her, eyes still warmly observing her every expression.

She leaned over to pick up her bag, skateboard strapped to it as usual. Thoughts were spinning around in her head, but she couldn't seize one and make it stick. She hoped she looked less stressed and confused than she felt.

"Where are you going?" he asked. "Do you have to go back to class?"

"No, I'm taking the day off." And possibly never returning.

"Can I stay with you? Or go with you, or-"

Rey finally gripped onto an idea and let it bloom inside her. "Will you do something for me? With me, actually."

Finn's face looked like that could mean a lot of things and he was just as surprised as interested.

"I need you to get really good at skateboarding. In a day. Today. Before sunset."

Finn tilted his head, screwing up his face like he hadn't heard her right. "What?"

Rey looked at him hopefully. "It's for a thing."

Finn chuckled, and leaned against the cream-coloured wall by the drinking fountain. "A thing."

Rey breathed in. "So, remember how I said I was ok?"

His body tensed. His voice deeper. "Yeah?"

"So the reason I haven't been expelled… is that I challenged this rep from First Order to a skateboarding competition."

Finn slid down the wall slightly, legs weak as he broke into confused laughter. He ran a hand over his face. "Wha-a-at?"

"I know what it sounds like! But this guy was just so full of himself, and he had a skateboard helmet so I just kinda went for it. But he made it pairs, so I need someone to skate with, and…" she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "You're kind of amazing at it. And it might be fun to take on your old boss. And, it would mean a lot to me."

Finn caught himself on the wall and suppressed his laughter. "You've gotta be kidding."

Rey's heart stopped. She'd been so sure a moment ago...

"Rey, you are incredible. Of course I'll do skateboard thunderdome with you."

She breathed again, huffing that turned to laughter. She reached over to the drinking fountain and stuck her thumb into the stream. "You bum! You made me think you wouldn't do it!" she accused, splashing him and accidentally catching herself in the uneven spray.

He threw his hands up, trying to reflect more of the water back at her. "Hey, hey, I was just surprised is all."

She laughed more and took her thumb off the spray, wiping droplets from her face.

"Here, let me," he smirked, and reached over, wiping her cheeks with his own wet hands.

"Very helpful," she said.

"Oh is it?" he asked, then reached into the fountain and splashed her. She had no choice but to retaliate.

The battle was hard fought but eventually they were both soaked and breathless. Finn had wrestled her hand away from the fountain and pinned it to the wall. His other hand was pushed against her shoulder, his thumb running along it. They were both grinning, with chests that rose and fell like the pistons of engines. Rey felt full of energy, like it was coursing through her, tingling under her skin. Her chin was tucked down towards the captive shoulder, and her eyes looked up at him with a challenge. His own eyes roved over her, the undertones of wonder and hunger slowly rising under the obvious feeling of victory. When he looked her in the eye and subtly bit his lip she felt her core twitch and her breath catch in her throat.

He smiled and released her, taking a few steps back. He looked cocky and playful. "So are we gonna skateboard or what?"

Rey nodded aggressively, getting her act together and pushing off the wall. "I can help you practice, but that might not be enough."

"No problem," he said, picking up her bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "I know just who will help us."

"Really?" she said, catching up to him as he walked towards the quad.

"Time for you to meet Poe," he said. His hand was open at his side, and Rey took it. The sun was already drying their shirts as it rose butter-yellow above them. This was gonna be great.


	8. Chapter 8

Finn knew the walk back to D'Qar must have taken longer than the mad dash to Jakk U, but it felt like no time at all. They'd held hands the whole way, and Finn explained in more detail what had happened with Poe last night and this morning. Rey asked lots of questions, and seemed more impressed and confused as he went along. They were already back at the skatepark when he started taking about the blackmailing emails and legal threats to a dozen different tenants across Galaxy. She let go of his hand when she saw Jessika, and ran towards her, picking her friend up in a hug. Finn watched them do a wobbly spin.

"Thank you!" Rey said, setting Jessika's feet back on the ground. "I owe you one."

Jessika cooed. "It wasn't hard. You should have told me it was some spy shit though."

"I didn't know! It's cool though, right?"

"Definitely. When we all get arrested for like, corporate espionage or whatever, it's gonna be really cool."

Finn approached them, trying not to intrude.

Rey looked at him and picked up confidence, turning back to Jessika with straighter posture. "I actually have a plan."

"What's your plan?" asked Poe, jogging up beside them.

Rey didn't lose a beat. "I'm gonna save the rec centre and Resistance. The only way I know: by skateboarding."

Finn watched with glee as she caught the others up on her ridiculous gamble, everyone's eyes going wide. The content was bizarre, but Rey didn't shy away from the gravity of the consequences.

"Wow," said Poe. "You bring me back my board and put your scholarship on the line to save my job, all before we've even met."

Rey looked a little mousy. "It seemed like the right thing to do. Plus D'Qar is important to me too. This is the first place that made me feel… hopeful."

Finn softened even more. She was so easily combative, but more and more he saw how easily she could be vulnerable. She was effortlessly honest; it made him feel like just being around her made him more secure in his own identity. No longer was he surrounded by asshole co-workers and asshole roommates and a world of assholes in charge of everything. He wasn't made small any more. He could be himself, his best self. He could be optimistic and daring and heroic. Finn had made that defining choice himself, back before he'd ever met Rey. But the lingering fears and doubts grew smaller as he watched her talking with Poe and Jessika, wild hand movements punctuating every sentence. Everything he was, everything he did, that was his responsibility. She just made it a little easier, and more fun.

"So, is anyone able to lend me a board?"

"Yeah, of course, buddy," offered Poe, and he picked up his white and orange number from the concrete. "Let's see what you can do."

The skatepark shimmered in front of him, dramatic shadows splitting the bowls into pale yellow and cool slate. It was a flow style park, with ledges and rails interspersed in the plaza between sweeping concrete bowls and ramps. Around the limits a warm breeze pulled at the dandelions in the grass, and palm trees watched over, covered in peach fuzz. He took the board, his hand on the nose, and set his sights on a gentle ramp that would take him down into the arena. He didn't want to prove he was the best skater. He wanted to prove that he could learn anything, adapt to anything. He would get up no matter how often he fell. When he'd gone skateboarding as a kid it was mostly falling. As he grew into an adult it felt the same.

The roll of the wheels under him thundered as he swept down the ramp and around the pool curve on the other side, building speed under his firmly planted feet. There was a spine in front of him, two ramps topped with metal coping where they connected. His mind raced with what he'd do when he got to the top. The trucks on Poe's board were broad - good for grinding - but how would he dismount? Finn couldn't remember if he'd actually done this before. He looked up to see his three cheerleaders watching him bright-eyed. Pumping for more speed, he tore up the ramp and went for a nosegrind on the spine. He tried to keep his balance, but with one half of the board wiggling in the air he came scrambling down the other side, the board rolling away as he found his footing at the bottom of the ramp. He threw up a thumb for his onlookers. "I'm ok!"

Poe smiled and Rey handed him her board. He swept down into the fray, gestured for Finn to back up, and then ollied onto the spine, neatly grinding from one side to the other and then dismounting with aplomb. He rolled his board up the bank of a funbox and then came around to Finn again, slowing down. "It's important to bend your knees more, to keep your centre of gravity right on top of the board. Try out a manual wheelie on the pavement first, and we'll see if we can get you more steady." Poe had a relaxed familiarity behind his teacher's words, and Finn thought he must be great with the rebel teens that come to the rec centre. It felt like he was part of a team.

They practiced different moves on the flat plaza before getting up on the rails and ledges. It was hard work, but each time he tried something a second time Finn got better at it. He flew up the wall of a steep bowl to where Rey was sitting and talking with Jessika, pulling grass absentmindedly. She looked over to him and beamed. He wiped the sweat from his brow and pretended it was a salute. As he plummeted down, crouching on the skateboard, he looked up to see some kids coming off a bus. Their loud chatter was a blur of high-pitched voices, but it caught Poe's attention. Finn swerved along a curved bank and rolled to his side.

"I gotta go. Duty calls," Poe said, gesturing with his shoulder at the children and checking his watch. "You keep practicing though," he said, looking up at Finn and crinkling his eyes, "You've really got talent."

"Do you need your board back?" Finn asked, still breathing hard.

"You can keep it," Poe said, biting his lip and punching Finn's shoulder. "At least until you get your own, hot shot."

Finn saluted again, and Poe rolled Rey's board behind him somewhere before taking off towards his class. Finn turned to see where the board had gone, and Rey was sliding on her hip down the bowl, meeting the board at the bottom.

"You ready to unlearn all that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and gripping the deck.

Finn smiled at the challenge, and raced her to the funbox between them. He ollied up onto the rail and she ramped up, holding the board with one hand while flying through the air. She did a 180 and came down the bank on the other side of the box with a hard but technically safe landing. Her whole body bounced as the board hit the pavement and he realized just how athletic she was. Muscled arms with freckles on the shoulders. Strong calves shaped like mangoes. Every part of her was delicious. She looked up at him and grinned. Finn gulped before sweeping down from the box and around her, wheels up on one side as he bent his feet beneath his ankles. He flipped the tail of the board up and jumped in the air as it rotated beneath him. He landed catlike as the wheels made contact the the ground, and glided away towards a bowl.

"A whole lot of fancy footwork," Rey opined. "But you've gotta be fast too." She kicked and pumped past him on the plaza, making it to the bowl first and swirling around it like soft serve. He kicked and raced after her, feeling gravity getting confused as the steep walls of the bowl rolled beneath his feet. He was sideways, he was swift; following Rey's spiral he was smitten. They laughed and led each other in chase around the different elements of the park. Their skills and styles complimented each other, contrasted and yet in sync. They peeled down the half pipe like a braiding helix, crossing in front and behind, their highs and lows the same. It was wild fun, but after a whole morning spent in motion it was exhausting.

The sun was beating down with the force of afternoon above them, and the blood rushing just under Finn's skin was hot as steam. He rolled to a halt and Rey did the same. "It's too hot," he panted.

"Yeah," she nodded, hands on her knees, trying to smooth her breathing.

"Let's take a break."

She wheezed in assent and put out a hand to catch his shoulder. Finally straightening her neck and looking up at him, sweat on her brow, she smiled again. "Let's get slushies."

Fifteen minutes later, the icy sugary goodness was heavy in his hand. They'd both gotten the large size, claiming it was the best value. The chime of the automatic doors sounded above his head as he crossed the threshold from stinking but glorious a/c out into the muggy heat of an empty parking lot. The convenience store was on the edge of a strip mall, bordered with trees that had never been pruned, stretching up creating the only shade in sight.

"I wanna show you something," Rey said, cutting past him towards the side of the building. He took a slurp and followed her, stepping over some litter from an overflowing trash can and into the weeds that grew beneath the trees. He could see the sheen on the back of her neck, and the brown hairs above getting caressed by the breeze. Her hips swayed as she stepped over a fallen branch, and Finn felt suddenly conscious of watching her. He took another slurp of his slushie, bright yellow, the colour of a tennis ball. Something remotely lemon-lime was there in the saccharine chill. Something childish, something freeing.

She came to a stop by a broad oak, and tucked her slushie into the crotch of a branch above her. Suddenly she vaulted up, pulling her body onto a thicker branch, and climbed onto the rooftop of the convenience store. She reached out and plucked her cup from the tree, then extended her other hand down to him. "Here, pass me yours."

Finn passed it up, the warmth of her fingers where they connected vibrant compared to the cold plastic. He climbed up the tree, and shuffled along the strongest limb to land catlike on the roof. It was a flat gravel affair, with nearly half of it in the delicious shade of the oak tree stretching up and over them. He looked up to see the shades of green shimmering as the soft wind fluttered the leaves. Out over the parking lot and the street he could see rolling hills of suburbs and shops. A radio tower to the east. It wasn't much of a view, it was only one story. But when he looked behind him to the corner of the roof where Rey was, something definitely caught his eye.

A translucent turquoise shone in the dappled sun. She stood next to an inflatable kiddie pool that was full of air even if it was empty of water. Rey offered him back his cup before settling down inside the pool, resting her shoulders on the soft plastic and throwing a leg over the side. Leisure perfected. "You coming in?"

Finn smiled, wiped his shoes on the gravel, and then crawled in beside her. He took a long sip from his straw and then threw back his head on the inflatable wall with a loud "Ahhh."

She giggled and they both got comfortable in ways that were probably bad for their spines. She slurped from her electric blue slushie, theoretically blue raspberry but definitely the colour of nothing natural. From the corner of his eye he saw her lips purse around the straw, and her heavy eyelashes dip as she let the ice cool her. She swallowed, then said "Jessika told me something, while you were practicing with Poe."

"Yeah?" he asked. Finn had no idea what she was gonna say.

She stirred the straw around, looking down into the blue depths. "She heard that D'Qar has some grants that are about to get approved."

This was a lot more boring than he'd expected. Why was she nervous?

"And Leia… she thought maybe they could make two positions. Two jobs. You know, if the centre doesn't get shut down."

Finn's eyes went wide.

"We could be co-workers. You could get clear of First Order, and I wouldn't have to…" she didn't finish her sentence.

"Do you want to move in with me?"

Rey's head whipped around to stare at him. "What?"

"I…" Finn didn't know what came over him. "I hate my roommate."

"You…" it was almost a question.

"She wants to update the lease. Right now it's just in my name, but she makes me feel like shit whenever I go home, and I don't want to spend another day with her, nevermind 6 months."

"Yeah, I understand wanting a new roommate," Rey said critically, one eyebrow lowered. "But me? You don't even know me."

"I know you," he said. Maybe that was presumptuous. "I want to know you."

He meant it. He meant it really badly.

"Finn..." He saw her expression soften. She was so soft. He didn't even realize he was holding her hand.

Rey's sentimental eyes lingered over his mouth. She set down her cup and her free hand rose up to his cheek; her fingers still cool from the condensation.

He blinked his eyes slowly, everything was fast and slow, his heart racing at her touch.

They moved together, heads tilting, lips barely touching; a pillowy contact that electrified him. She took his bottom lip between hers and pulled gently, parting his lips.

He wanted to be gentle too. To ease her into his wanting. But she tasted so sweet he needed more. He pressed his thumb on her jawline, opening her mouth, then swept his hand back to the nape of her neck and pulled her against him. The impact was hard and soft, his tongue swept along the inside of her lips warming them both. When her tongue came licking and curling inside his mouth he felt her grip on him tighten, her nails biting into his skin. He returned with hunger, biting at her bottom lip and pulling briefly before sweeping back forward, plunging hot and wet. Their tongues were as soft and raspy as velvet, meeting again and again. He couldn't get enough. Before long he was on nearly top of her, one hand on her neck, fingers tangled in her hair, the other on her hip, pressing into the tender flesh with broad fingers. She was writhing, moving with the kisses, one hand on his waist while the other dug into his shoulder, ferocious and desperate. They were in constant competition, they were in constant agreement. Her gasps sounded like cymbals crashing to his ears; primal music he wanted louder and louder. She was his to taste, to touch, to please. He'd never felt so possessive, so possessed. She sucked on his lip so hard he lost his breath. She ran her fingernails through his hair so softly he lost his mind.

Air. He needed to breath it, he remembered. And the inflatable pool they were pressing down on needed it to stay upright. With a hiss and a rolling thump they fell as the plastic lost its stretch and unloaded them on the roof top. They both broke into laughter, loud and sweet. He watched her catch her breath, her face still hot. Rey planted a soft peck on his face before getting up off of him, and held her hand out for him to take. He grasped it firmly and got to his feet, grinning with swollen lips.

"Well," he said, absolutely indulged. "I like what I know so far."

She laughed again and punched his arm. When she leaned down to get their drinks he understood why her tongue was bright green.


	9. Chapter 9

They skated back to the rec centre together, leisurely swerving across little used streets; hopping up on curbs, making a racket. Rey felt irrationally carefree. She watched Finn moving fluidly, confidently. He'd found his balance and honed it into graceful shifts of weight and tension, guiding the board flawlessly in its paces. She watched the curve of his back and determination on his face distractedly. She still felt an electricity on her lips. She was glad the a/c in the convenience store was so loud, she'd have been mortified if they'd heard her. She was shaken from her thoughts by the sounds of upset voices from around the corner.

Arriving at the skatepark she saw a small crowd had gathered. She kicked at the pavement. "Poe and Jessika must have told people about the wager."

"At least they'll be cheering us on," Finn said, but she could sense he was nervous like her.

It wasn't just the rabble of D'Qar staff and regulars. Dressed in all black was Ben, and standing upright beside him was the salt shaker to his pepper. They were quite a pair. She despised them both on sight.

He turned when they approached, and the rumbling voices of the crowd petered out.

"You're here early," Rey said flatly.

"I am not," he said, clearly irritated at hearing the same thing over and over.

"You said 'before sunset', we still have hours left."

"You'd agree," the other man cut in, "That 'before sunset' is not the same thing as 'at sunset'?"

"I- Well yeah, but-"

"We are ready," Ben said with the tone of a debating politician, "Are you conceding, or are we doing this?"

Rey looked over towards Finn. His courage was ironclad on his strong features. "We're doing this," he said.

Ben scoffed. "This is who you've chosen? This recreant deserter?" He roved his eyes between Poe and Finn. "Or is it conspirator?"

"She brought a friend," Finn said. "I see you brought a lackey." He leaned toward the pale man, stage whispering "Did he pay you to be here, Hux?"

Rey saw both Ben and Hux go paler at the remark, and looked over in time to see Poe grinning.

Ben decided to ignore the remark. "To begin, we'll see if we can even be compared. Your team will have to mimic my routine trick by trick. If you can complete that, we'll determine speed and agility in direct competition. We race around the facility and hit that ramp," he pointed with one long finger, "only a team where both members finish will win."

"What, you get to decide everything?"

"I was the one who was challenged."

A hot wind rustled the palm tree fronds, and the crowd was full of murmurs and whispers and silence. Rey was lucky Ben had made this gambit at all. She was the one who really had something to lose. Of course, she wasn't going to lose. "We agree to your terms."

She started to stretch, warming up her muscles. She looked to Poe and he nodded. She looked to Finn. He looked a little nervous under the proud expression, but she knew he was ready.

Ben and Hux both mounted their boards and swiveled past them towards the ramp down. Hux went over to sit on a ledge, and Ben turned on a dime to face the crowd. "Are you watching carefully?"

"Impress me," Rey spat.

The thing about Ben was he was fast. Kick push coast at lightspeed. He was on the rail then he was on the halfpipe then he was on the spine. The only moments that weren't whiplash fast took place in the air, where he seemed to hover uncannily, like a hummingbird. He was a master over his surroundings, each piece of the park was a piece of puzzle he lay down flat in its place. Rey saw the space in a new light; it looked small, like a toy version of her memories. He knew what he was doing. A bead of sweat crawled down her forehead, but she didn't dare blink. She needed to copy this exactly. Hux and all the crowd would know.

When he finally finished it was by riding slowly backwards into a rail, taking a seat while the board rolled on beyond. He was so cocky it hurt to look at.

"Your turn," he said, pursing his lips on the 'r's.

Rey grabbed the nose of her board and went down into the park. He moved out of her way with a leer and stood on the sidelines, hands behind his back.

She closed her eyes, trying to remember what she'd just seen. Her eyes blinked open and she caught Finn's gaze. The eye contact was intense. She hoped he understand what she meant by it. 'Forget about him, just watch me'

Ben had been fast, but it was to hide a lack of real fluidity. She analyzed his movements; like combo attacks in an arcade game, the order of moves was all that mattered. She kicked off and started her reenactment.

If he was writing the notes of sheet music, she was playing the melody. Rey let the hot breeze take her as kin, flowing and twirling and blasting against the obstacles. The rail, the halfpipe, the spine, even entering the bowl and crouching to grasp the board; she did it with a rhythm and confidence that kept her moving forward. There was an inevitability to the next move. A compulsion. When she took her seat on the rail she was almost surprised it was over, her breath beating at her ribs.

She jutted up her chin as she passed Ben and Hux, and waited eagerly for Finn to knock it out of the park. He rolled in gnawing at his lip, but he looked over at her and winked.

He was following her lead. He was playing with the song she'd made; she could almost see the beat of it in the bounce of his knees. It wasn't until she found herself cheering like the rest of the crowd that she realized he was doing it better than her. He was a showman; his face wasn't twisted in concentration like hers or Ben's, it was playing with the movements. His eyebrows would go up when he jumped and back down when he landed. He would laugh and stick out his tongue. Even though each move matched what had been set out, he made it look fresh and impulsive. He made it look fun.

When he finished with the routine Rey's pulse was still racing. She could watch him forever, and it was a torment that she couldn't watch him skate and touch him at the same time. When he walked over to her his eyes were crinkled in a giant smile. She was sure hers were as big as saucers.

While Hux replicated Ben's routine they paid him no mind. They just looked at each other; faces moving through joy and wonder.

"Well," said Ben, unclenching his fist. "It appears we are all fit to compete."

Rey and Finn remembered where they were and stood up to face him. "So now we race?" she asked.

Ben squinted his eyes at her but had nothing to say. He just pointed to the start. The four of them lined up at the edge of colourful graffiti. Rey had one foot on her board, the other one on a bright pink eyeball. In front of them was the plain walkway that took them to the plaza surrounding D'Qar, stark against the grass. She reached out and squeezed Finn's wrist before letting go and getting into her starting stance. She bobbed like a video game character about to strike. Somewhere Poe called out the numbers, "3, 2, 1, go!"

They smacked against the pavement and took off. Kick push kick push, she kept her body low, cutting through the air like a diving falcon. The straight away was simple enough, but as the path curved she saw concrete block benches. There was room to go through, but that would mean swerving in front of Finn and it might unbalance him. Fuck it, she thought, and Rey ollied up, rolling for a sweet instant on top of the bench and then jumping off the other side with a crash. She kicked again picking up her momentum but as she saw Ben ahead of her struggling to make the hard right corner around the building she appreciated her slower speed. Rey managed to get the inside corner and peel in front of him. Racing forward, she was ready to catch a small pillar with her hand to swerve right again, taking her past the smallest part of the building and in front of everyone else. She heard Finn laugh behind her and it filled her with light. On a straight part she looked over her shoulder, to see Finn and Ben neck and neck while Hux came close behind. They really were all very good. She felt no guilt over her unfair advantage of being lightest.

She zoomed past the entrance and beside the long planter filled with flowering bushes. The plaza ended, and the path was paved smooth but quite narrow between the uneven grass. It curved towards a tree that had seen better days; even in late spring the branches were mostly bare. She ducked a little under a low hanging limb and pummeled on towards the last leg, back towards the skate park. She could see the crowd watching and cheering her on.

-

Behind her, Ben had faltered into third place. He'd hit too many cracks in the pavement surrounding this mismanaged property, and now the traitor and the nobody were going to win. How did he ever think this could be a good idea? He'd been too distracted to notice he was competing on their home turf. They'd taken the advantage before he'd even realized it. Of course they wouldn't stand a chance if he'd picked the arena. He'd behaved rashly. He'd been made a fool.

Rey was too far ahead, but her speed wouldn't matter if Finn didn't finish. Ben slowed slightly, picking up a rock from planter he was rolling past, and hucking it at the dying tree. Finn turned to face the noise, but he didn't see the dangling branch that had been loosed by the impact. It wobbled and fell. The wheels of Finn's skateboard crunched over it and twisted, throwing him off. Finn fell on his arm, impacting hard on the grass; the board still tangled.

Ben smiled, predator's teeth gleaming in his mouth. It had worked perfectly, now he just-

Hux flashed past him, a streak of orange hair and white skin that raced towards the curving path ahead. Before Ben could say anything, his teammate came to the fallen branch in a rush. Like magnetic forces twisted around him, Hux wavered and crumpled, his board shooting out from under him as the wheels hit the branch. His body fell backwards, tumbling off the path.

This is not what Ben had planned at all. He'd chosen Hux. How could this man call himself a skater if he couldn't even look where he's going? Now all Ben could hope was that his teammate would get up before Rey's did. Gritting his teeth and pushing faster, Ben jumped over the smallest part of the branch and raced on towards the finishing ramp. Nothing would stop him. He was meant to win.

-

Rey was pulling towards the edge of the skatepark, the ramp growing before her eyes. She was gonna win this, and Finn was- She realized over the sound of the crowd that there were no longer three sets of wheels barrelling after her. She looked over her shoulder and Finn wasn't there. Ben was skating towards her, but she couldn't see Finn or even Hux.

She stopped her progress abruptly. Just by the corner of the building, under the old tree, she saw Finn picking himself up off the grass. "Finn!?" she cried. How had he fallen? Was he hurt? Rey's mind was tumbling. She'd been so happy a moment ago, but what if he'd broken something? She couldn't bear that she'd put him in this situation where everyone was behaving so reckless.

Ben slowed as he approached her. "What are you doing? Why have you stopped?"

She didn't answer him, could barely hear him. Hux was getting up too, faster than Finn.

"Do you forfeit?" Ben asked.

"No," she said, still not turning to look at him.

Ben came to a stop too, following her gaze. Rey supposed he had the same thought as her: if neither of their teammates got on their boards, it wouldn't matter.

Hux pushed off the ground like a rocket and came rushing towards them. He wasn't on his board. His face was getting pinker and pinker as he crossed the distance, running at Ben.

"Where's your board?" Ben called in a huff.

Hux only got angrier. "You cheating bastard!" He only stopped running when he had the front of Ben's shirt in his hands. Everyone in the crowd was holding their breath, watching. "You had no way of knowing that wouldn't take me out," he shouted, spit coming out between his gritted teeth. "I'd say you're lucky I didn't break my arm or fracture my wrist in the fall, but I have a mind to bruise my knuckles on that jaw of yours, _Kylo Ren_!"

"How dare you!?" Ben shouted back.

Caught up watching the fight, Rey only just noticed Finn rolling towards her. He winced when he kicked the pavement, it looked like he'd twisted his ankle.

The First Order men were still arguing when she met Finn in the middle of the pavement, stopping him and stroking his arms. "I'm sorry," she said.

"It wasn't your fault," he said, his smile twitching at her worry. "I'm okay, he just caught me off guard. Don't think I can make the jump though. Do you think-"

"It's fine," she said. She looked back over to the shouting couple. "I don't think this race is gonna finish today."

She supported him and they pulled back into the thick of it, everyone condensing into one point.

"Finn can't finish the race, which means Rey's team has to forfeit," Ben announced, defensiveness curling around the edges of his words.

"He can't finish because you cheated!" shouted someone in the crowd.

Rey looked over to see Leia grinning.

"It's not the first time you've used dirty means to get your way, Kylo Ren," she said. It was the name his lackey Hux had called him in front of everyone. It was the name from the blackmail documents!

His eyes widened. "What are you saying?"

"You can find out in court," she said confidently. "This charade is over."

The crowd cheered and Hux spat on the ground, walking off. Ben braced, about to shout or fight or explode. But he just grabbed his board with white knuckles and stormed out, leaving everyone either laughing or agape.

"Did we do it?" Finn asked.

"I… I don't know," Rey said.

Poe clapped them both on the shoulder. "You kids did great!" The crowd bellowed in agreement. The air was so hot.

Leia smiled, coming over to hug Rey. She squeezed her tight, with motherly intensity. "You did so much for us today. I'm so proud of you." She pulled back and made solid eye contact. "We'll take it from here. There's no way he can claim this day as a victory, so I believe you're safe. There's still much to be done, but more judicial than…" She gestured to the skateboards. "I'm afraid I may call on you to help us again, in other ways. Perhaps even a job. I hope you will answer."

"Absolutely," Rey said. Emotion was bubbling up in her, but she wasn't going to cry in front of everyone.

Leia nodded and pulled Finn into a hug too. "You've sacrificed so much, and helped a lot of good people in more ways than you know," she told him. "I'm so glad our paths have crossed. The world needs more people like you. I know I will."

Finn's heart was surging all over his face. Leia patted his cheek and backed away. She linked her hands behind her back, but Rey could see the professionalism was only just keeping in check the emotion she too was feeling.

"Not a lot of people put themselves on the line for the little guy," Poe said.

The crowd was dispersing; people were already talking excitedly and making plans.

Rey found herself unable to move.

Poe gave them both a parting "Take care of yourselves," and then took Leia's arm and walked away with her, whispering conspiratorially.

"So do we just…"

"Go home?"

Finn and Rey looked at each other. In the pale blue sky above them, the clouds were fuzzy as peaches.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rating and tags have been updated, so don't read this one on the bus, folks!

The key didn't go smoothly into the lock; Finn's hands were unsteady. He wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, it was like there a was a force outside his mind leading him forward. His apartment door opened with his push, and standing on the bottom step of a step ladder was his very tall roommate.

"What are you doing?" Finn asked.

"I'm changing the bulb," said Phasma, in monotone.

"I only changed it a month ago, there's no way it went out."

Rey poked her head in for an instant but yanked it back, smartly deciding to stay in the hallway.

"You changed it to one of those useless energy saver bulbs that take too long to light up," explained Phasma. "You're always making those thoughtless, stupid decisions because you think it makes a difference."

"Excuse me?" Finn gaped.

She stepped down onto the hardwood floor. "Yeah, I heard about your job, by the way. I don't know why you thought you could lie to me, I'm friends with cops."

Finn had had enough. "Are you friends with me?"

"What?"

"You. Me. Are we friends."

Phasma squinted at him. "No," she said in a rush of air, like the question was absurd.

"Then there is no reason for us to be roommates."

Her surprise just ran deeper. "You can't do that."

"Yeah, I can. You aren't on the lease, and you're not my friend. You have til the first of the month. I already have someone to take the place, so you don't have to worry about that." He was set as stone.

She grimaced. "I'm going out," she grabbed a denim jacket. "You'll have a cooler head when I get back, and then I can deal with you."

"Sure," said Finn, sarcasm dripping.

"Bravado never lasts," she spat. She marched out the open door and past Rey without even seeing her.

"Wow," said Rey, once the stairwell door slammed.

"So this is my home," Finn said musically. He couldn't believe what just happened.

She laughed nervously and started taking off her shoes, leaning a hand on the kitchen counter. "It's nice."

"Thanks," he said, carefully removing the shoe from his injured ankle.

"Looks like the swelling is going down already."

He tried rotating it. "Yeah, I got pretty lucky. Probably should avoid rigorous exercise though."

"At least the kind where you're on your feet."

He looked up at her at that, but she was carefully avoiding his inspection, instead wandering over to the plants on the windowsill. He watched her lean over and smell them. It made him feel wrong. Having her here, watching her body like this. What was he doing?

She might've sensed his thoughts. She looked over her shoulder, arms resting on the windowsill and her back arched just so. She was mouthwatering.

Finn swallowed and then finished taking off his other shoe. The step ladder was still there in the middle of the entry hall, and when he looked up he saw the light fixture was empty. Of course, he'd be the one who had to deal with the consequences. He couldn't believe Phasma, she thought she had him all figured out and-

"Finn?"

Rey was standing right beside him as he finished folding the ladder into the closet. He turned to look at her and saw an expression he couldn't parse. Her teeth tugged at her lip a bit, more in thought than anything.

Finally she spoke again. "Do you want to have sex?"

His body was paralyzed except for his rapidly blinking eyes. "That's very to the point."

"It doesn't have to be," she offered lasciviously.

Air swept out of him like a pierced tire. His body was filled instead with static electricity.

"I…" he said. "You…" he said. "It's… it's not a good idea."

Rey's smile faltered.

"It's nothing wrong with you!" He swept a hand down his face as he looked her over, "God, there's nothing wrong with you." He swallowed again and tried to find the words. "But we just met! And all this stuff has been happening; chases, threats, leaving my job, kicking out my roommate, hiding from thunderstorms in an anarchist house, somehow a skateboard competition for the fate of a community centre? It's all not… normal."

"Do you regret it?" she asked, startled.

"No! Of course not. It's just…" His eyes had squished shut, his roommate's face glaring in the back of his head; he bravely tried to open them to look at Rey. "You want me now, when it's all mystery and danger. But I can't offer you constant adventure. I can't always be the hero. What happens when I'm boring? When I screw up? If I lose you in my life because we went so far so fast… I can't bear the thought of it."

Rey's eyes were wet but nothing came from them.

He wanted to to comfort her but no words could even form in his mind. It was a mess up there. He was a mess.

"Finn…" she said, so quiet he barely heard her. She looked demure, nervous. She cleared her throat to speak louder, but she still didn't look at him. "I don't like you because you're mysterious and dangerous. I like you because you're…" She looked at the floor like she was mad at it. "I like you because you're home. For the first time I think I understand that feeling. You make me," she swallowed down something hard, "You make me feel like I belong. Like you'll be there for me. Like I'm safe."

He couldn't move. Couldn't speak.

She went on. "I know that's a lot to put on a person. I know it… it doesn't even make sense. It's just this feeling I have, and I can't ignore it. Like it's all around me when I'm with you." She breathed, her chest rising tall. "But just because I already trust you, doesn't mean we have to take it all on faith." She finally looked up at him, into his desperate eyes. "We can build it, we can earn it. You don't have to be mysterious with me, I swear. We can make mistakes, talk things through. I want to."

The spring inside Finn had been held back too long - when his body moved it was in a hot burst. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her like fire. Their chests slammed together and their lips crushed, and he needed her so badly. Needed her in his life, needed her in his bed.

Rey moaned against his mouth. She grabbed him and pushed him against the wall, knocking the air out of him and devouring his open lips with tugging kisses.

His hands pressed and roved across her back, moving down to her ass. As he took a handful her kisses broke off.

"What happened to talking?" she asked, breathlessly.

"Let's talk," he said. His mouth worked down her neck, making her gasp. "I want to fuck you so badly I think I might die."

She giggled, but gasped again as he bit the flesh between her neck and shoulder. "Let's go to the bedroom," she murmured.

He scooped both hands under her ass and picked her up, pushing off the wall. Her legs wrapped around him and the tightness of her body made his mind reel. He carried her over to his bedroom door, nuzzling against her collar bone and the fallen waves of her hair.

"Your ankle!" she said as he kicked open the door.

"I don't care," he muttered into her jaw, moving his lips up to pull at her earlobe. He sucked it into his mouth and bit down. He wanted to eat her alive. Based on the sounds she was making and the ways her legs tightened over his hips, she was all for it.

Her fingers dug into his shoulder blades and Finn moaned. He stole a hungry kiss from her and then dropped her, bouncing, onto his bed. She leaned back with her legs spread, a wicked grin on her face. His vantage point, leaning over her with his hands braced on the edge of the bed, gave him too many ideas to choose from.

Rey had her own ideas. "I want to see you naked."

"That's the plan," he said, running a hand over a long leg, feeling her strong calf against his palm. She was so fit.

"No," she said, kicking him gently away so he stood at the foot of the bed, "I want to really see."

He smiled. Who was he to deny her? The top button of his henley was already undone, but he worked at the other two, watching her watch him. Had she been watching him like this all day? Had she been thinking about this? The room was warm, and streaks of golden light through the gaps in the curtains made his skin glow dark amber. She settled into the bed, waiting.

He crossed his arms to raise the shirt over his head from the hem. It wasn't his usual way, but he knew how best to show off his muscles. When he peeled it off his broad shoulders he looked down to see her eyes darting everywhere. He laughed a little at her eagerness. The laughter tensed his abs and brought her attention starkly to the sweep of his obliques. Her eyes moved down him like paint on a canvas, and he could feel her gaze on him, making his cock twitch. He reached down, unbuttoning before tucking his hand slowly below the waistband. He took himself in his hand and his whole body sang. His head was thrown back as he gave his cock one luxurious pull.

"Oh god," Rey quivered.

He looked down at her with hooded lids and saw she was pressing her thighs together tightly, moving her hips in rolling sweeps.

She wanted him so badly.

"Take off your pants, and I'll take off mine."

"Deal," she said, zero hesitation.

Underneath she had blue underwear, thin enough he could see where the mound of curls pushed against the fabric. God he wanted to touch her. But a deal's a deal. With his eyes on her, he lowered his jeans with his free hand, leaning against his bedroom wall for support as they dropped to the floor. While he swirled his thumb over the tip of his cock, he reached down to its base, squeezing it roughly before pushing down his briefs too.

She made a high pitched noise, and he saw her biting her knuckle. She was absolutely captivated by the work of his hands. And he hadn't even started on her.

He brought a hand up his chest, brushing his fingers over his throat, teasing her. He delighted in her watching him.

"Please," she whimpered.

He smiled, and prowled forward, away from his clothes and towards the bed. "Please what?"

"K-kiss me."

He dropped slowly to his knees at the foot of the bed and pulled her body closer to the edge.

"That's... not what I meant," she said nervously.

"You don't want me to?" he asked, placing a gentle kiss to the inside of her knee.

"I- I could definitely be convinced," she was panting now, as he worked along her thigh, barely touching her.

"What could I do," he asked, moving higher, closer to that intoxicating warmth, that sweet smell of her arousal, "to convince you?"

She rocked her head back as he placed a delicate kiss to the mound over her clit, before moving onward and back up the other thigh. He kept kissing her skin coolly, precisely; pretending to be indifferent to the shock that went through him when he realized she was wet.

"You're torturing me," she whispered, as he reached the inside of her other knee.

"Say the word," he said, looking into her big brown eyes, "Whatever you want, it's yours."

"Kiss me. Suck me, lick me, taste me, just do it, please, just-"

He couldn't wait to let her finish. He stripped her and then pressed her legs back apart. She opened in front of him like a peach, and he plunged in. His nose nuzzled into her coarse hair as he felt her dripping across his lips. Pulling, licking, tugging and pushing, he worked her under his mouth. She tasted so good, her lips were plump and pulsing with the strength of her racing heartbeat. He wrapped his thick lips around the top of her cunt, slowly pulling them together towards her clit, sucking on it fiercely. He felt her hands suddenly grasping his hair, pulling his tight curls so hard he was afraid he did something wrong. But before he could pull back she was pushing him against herself, smashing his mouth against her. He answered with gusto, driving his tongue inside her. God, he was inside her. Inside Rey. Her cunt was alive under his tongue, writhing, tightening, opening. He heard her broken breaths above him getting louder, her moans wilder.

He pulled back. His chin was slick and his eyes intense as he took her in. Her shirt was askew, but still on. The hand that wasn't gripping his hair was pushing back her bra, twisting the perfect brown nipple it exposed.

"Can I help?" he asked.

"You can do anything," she panted, releasing her hand from his head and wiping a strand of hair from her sweaty forehead.

Finn crawled onto the bed and lifted her up into a kiss. She sucked at his wet lips, apparently she didn't mind the taste in the slightest. He pulled off her shirt and went to undo her bra. She beat him to it, undoing the hooks with the one-handed confidence of experience. He threw the bra to the floor and dipped his head to her waiting breasts, making her gasp. He nuzzled them before marking them with his tongue. She felt incredible. He needed more. He looked up at her and her face, oh god her face.

"I want to taste you," she said, and suddenly Finn was swung onto his back. Rey prowled over him, kissing down his chest until she reached the curls above his desperately hard cock. She licked along his length and Finn thought he might just die, right there. She guided it with her soft hand into her softer mouth, and it took everything Finn had not to buck and thrust. Her palate pressed against his terribly, wonderfully sensitive head as her tongue worked the ridge, and she was so perfect. She bobbed down just once, with tight flush lips, and he heard himself rasp, "Stop."

She stopped immediately, releasing him and sitting back up on the bed. "Are you ok?"

"Can… Can you grab a condom from the drawer? I'm not entirely sure I can move yet."

She laughed her sweet laugh and crawled over to open the bedstand drawer. "There are a lot of condoms in here," she said, a little surprised. She ripped open a little blue package while raising an eyebrow. "Finn, are you a player?" He didn't appreciate how mocking her voice was.

"Just knew you'd be coming over," he feigned.

She laughed again at his smugness, crawling back towards him. "And society would collapse?"

He lifted himself up onto an elbow to smoulder at her. "I figured they'd last us about a week."

Before she could laugh again he kissed her. She bit at him and he bit right back and they were both smiling into each other's mouths and kissing and kissing. His eyes were closed so he was unprepared when her hand brought the sleek latex tight over his erection. He only barely had the sense to bend his legs under him so she didn't pin him to the bed again as she swung over. His body was in position for prayer, but with her lap hovering over his, Rey was the only holy thing he could think of.

"Is this alright?" she asked.

"Rey," he whispered. It felt like an answer.

The heat hit him like a wave. Her hips starting moving in a spiral, working the lips of her cunt down his cock inch by inch. When he looked at her face he saw a rush of expressions, but mostly the determination to find the right spot. And god, when she did. He felt it at once, from her and through her. Rey's eyelashes fluttered and she dropped down hard, making him suck air through his teeth to stop from thrusting. She was fucking him. She was churning her hips over and over, bringing their chests together in that sensation of slick sweat that made his mind race. His whole body was electric.

She pressed her lips against his collarbone as she pulled him deeper inside. "I've thought about this so much," she whispered.

He couldn't take it, couldn't remember what he was waiting for. He thrusted up, lifting her with his cock as he pushed her against him, a hand hard against her lower back. She wailed and he had everything he wanted. He lifted her higher and higher, feeling her clit rubbing against the hard bone of his pelvis. He wanted to keep fucking her until they hit the ceiling but he knew gravity would come back eventually, so he crashed her down to the bed, and drove into her that way. Her head was thrown back against the covers, her ecstasy written across her furrowed brows. He plunged into her again and again; her gasps of "yes, yes" barely audible above the slap of their bodies and the rumble of the bed shaking across the floor.

"What do you want?"

"This, this," she whined. Her hips tried to rise to his thrusts but her rhythm couldn't keep up.

"I can go slower," he rumbled.

"Don't you dare."

He felt so powerful that he fought even against his own instincts and slowed down. Giving himself space to pull a hard nipple into his mouth, he begged her forgiveness with a hand pushed down between them. Her back arched as he circled her clit, and he felt her cunt stretch around him. Rey pulled his face up to her own and kissed him between gasps. "You're mine, you're mine," she whispered.

He couldn't take much more. His hand worked faster, and his cock pushed in and out of her with a desperate unsteadiness, building and building.

She whimpered and screamed and he fucked her over the edge, following after her.

Her body beneath him was hot skin coated with cool sweat and he licked it off her, from her breast to her neck, coaxing her back to stillness as they both shuddered through their release. When he eased out of her she groaned. He nipped at her, catching her sound in his lips. As he rose up and tidied himself, a smile spread across his face like sunlight. Looking down, she was a perfect mess, hair everywhere, it felt like the entire room had shrunk to her delicate body.

"Did I save your life?"

Finn was confused for a moment before remembering what he'd said. "Yeah, you did. But I think it might be a reoccurring issue." He offered her a hand and helped her to her feet, the tips of her breasts just grazing his chest as she found balance. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

"You want to go again?" Her face was shocked.

Finn chuckled. "Food hungry. I can make us a stir-fry or something."

"Oh my god."

"What?"

"No offense to the skateboarding and the sex and stuff, but I think a stir-fry might be the best thing that could happen to me today?"

He laughed and planted a kiss to her forehead before reaching down for his clothes. "Get dressed, I'll show you around our kitchen, get you acquainted."

As he fit his pants over his hips she still hadn't said anything. He looked over at her, her body turning golden as the sun set behind white curtains. "Rey?"

"You really want me to live with you?"

He nodded his head. "Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes!"

Her posture was doubtful, her face nervous.

He pulled himself towards her, hands on her arms. "Do you want me to say it three times?"

She nodded.

"Rey, I want you to live with me. I want to cook you food, and pull your hairs out of the drain, and buy you a tacky key chain."

She smiled, and Finn's heart melted. It wasn't until they were both dressed and opening the fridge door that the worry came into her voice again. "When Phasma moves out, what's gonna happen to her room?"

"It's yours," said Finn. "You can cover the walls with engine schematics or whatever suits you."

"You don't want me to stay in your room? So we can…" She petered off.

He closed the fridge door and set the vegetables on the counter, looking her in the eye. "You can sleep wherever you like, including my bed. As for the rest? Once Phasma's gone, we're gonna have sex in every room. _Every_ room."

Rey laughed and sat up on the counter, twisting the tops off the carrots. "You like me, don't you?"

She was smug and happy and so perfectly Rey.

Finn leaned against the dishwasher and let himself rest, watching her work. "Yeah," he smiled. "I think I do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading (and kudosing and bookmarking and commenting), I love you! 
> 
> The finnrey fandom is the best. You've made this such a joy. 
> 
> Please let me know if there's a trope or AU you'd like me to explore, because you've definitely convinced me to write more finnrey.


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